Assistant Manager

Role Profile

• Capability:                  Enterprise-Wide Technology
• Team:                         Technology Transformation and Change
• Job Title:                    PMO Assistant Manager
• Grade:                        D

Context

Technology Transformation and Change

The Technology Transformation and Change Team delivers on the Digital and Technology Transformation ambitions for our Firm. It is a team which includes the Technology PMO function, change management experts, our Source team and a team of programme and project managers who deliver the technology projects and programmes for the Firm. The team’s mission is to provide expert execution to all projects, large or small, agile or waterfall across a wide range of applications. The team brings together multi-disciplinary stakeholders to execute technology projects and programmes through the full project lifecycle and enable robust delivery of our technology projects and programmes across our existing portfolios and in support of our future digital strategy. 

Project and programme management

The Project and Programme management team have a breadth and depth of experience covering the successful delivery of technology. The Project and programme management team deliver on the Digital Transformation ambitions for our business and the wider Firm, supporting the digital strategy. The team provides a community of practice that shares knowledge and drives excellence through a strong community of Project/Programme Managers/PMO who are experts in delivery of Technology projects and programmes. The team acts as a Centre of Excellence and sets the benchmark for complying with the standards for delivery, adopting agile methodologies, modern tooling and championing the firm’s governance.

The Role

The PMO Analyst role is to work with a range of projects across the TTC Portfolio. You will be reporting to the PMO Manager, and will work closely with Technology, project, and business teams to ensure high quality deliverables, maintaining strong 3rd party vendor and stakeholder relationships at all times.

Your specific role will be to actively work with project and PMO managers to ensure robust governance, effective project progress reporting and financial management, support the collation of governance packs and regular risk and issue meetings as well as shaping activities across the programme.  The role will also conduct quality audits, ensure that all the controls within the PMO are adhered to, and drive best practices relating to project management methodologies, processes, tools and templates.

Following the in-house project lifecycle and quality standards you will work with functions within Enterprise-Wide Technology and other capabilities within the firm to ensure key project components are put in place with a key focus on strict change control. You will need an eye for detail, ability to shape and drive key activities forward and to think outside of the box with new innovative ways of working.  

Key Responsibilities

Supporting project teams through the provision and coordination of a range of standardised PMO services. Key activities include:

• Actively work with Project Managers to ensure accurate and timely project progress updates and financial reporting.  Analyse and assess where updates are missing and / or require further clarification.
• Track milestones, dependencies, actions, decisions and resource allocation and utilisation
• Support financial forecasting, budgeting, and financial monitoring.
• Assist the set-up and provide ongoing support to governance forums (e.g. Programme Board and Steer Co) Assist with project governance documentation and reporting. Review and challenge updates where standards, quality and accuracy may be lacking.
• Act as a point of contact for project managers and workstream leads to troubleshoot tooling issues. 
• Ensure effective communication is maintained throughout the project in line with the communication plans; coordinating communications and stakeholder management plans
• Support Risk, Issue and Dependency meetings to challenge on mitigation plans and next steps and offer potential solutions
• Support the completion of change requests in readiness for Change Advisory Boards
• Support the organising and running of workshops across the programme to help drive the projects/workstream forward
• Support knowledge management across the projects/programmes helping to manage SharePoint/teams collaboration sites and onboard new team members
• Take Minutes/actions and track decisions at Programme meetings, Working Groups and SteerCo etc.
• Implement and run core PMO processes including Risk and issue management, change control, dependencies, planning, benefits and financial management, ensuring their standard application across projects and programmes.

The Person

Essential skills and experience

• 3+ years Demonstrable PMO expertise with experience of having supported projects throughout the entire project lifecycle, using a range of project management methodologies (agile, waterfall, hybrid)
• Good knowledge of techniques for planning, monitoring, data analysis and controlling projects, including risk management and change management
• Good knowledge of budgeting, forecasting and resource allocation processes
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and experience, with the ability to work positively with the full range of individuals and groups and capable of developing and maintaining effective working relationships. 
• Proven written and oral communications skills and strong interpersonal skills that can be executed credibly to inspire confidence in you and the delivery of the project
• Credibility within the project environment and ability to influence others
• Driven and enthusiastic with a ‘can-do’ attitude and a strong sense of ownership to get the job done in a practical and pragmatic fashion 
• Good to advanced Excel skills with the ability to present detailed and fast-moving information in a simple and effective manner
• Highly organised, confident, self-starter who can help shape the role
• Ability to find innovative ways of solving or pre-empting problems
• Resilient and tenacious with a propensity to persevere and flex approach where needed 
• Effective team working skills with the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of individuals towards shared goals

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience of working on projects such as transformation/large programmes of change with multiple stakeholders 
• Experience of working in large organisations 
• Experience of working with diverse project and programme teams
• Professional certification in project management 
• Awareness of current and emerging technologies
• Familiarity with enterprise tooling (e.g., MSPO, Power BI)
• Willingness to develop specific Project Management skills to provide SME support to Project and PMO Managers